Girl crushed by fire tender in VIP convoy in Punjab

A teenaged girl was crushed to death Friday evening when a fire tender in a VIP convoy drove over her in Punjab's Patiala town. Tragically, the incident happened on her birthday.

Priya Kapoor, 16, a student of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) here, lost control of her two-wheeler and fell on the road when she panicked at the blaring sirens of the motorcade of a Punjab and Haryana High Court judge.

She was crushed under the wheels of a fire tender, which was part of the convoy, near a temple on the Rajpura Road in Patiala, 80 km from here.

Police officials admitted that the fire tender, which was speeding, crushed the girl.

The judge, according to eyewitnesses, did not even stop as the girl died and the VIP cavalcade continued with its journey.

Though high court judges are provided pilot vehicles while touring districts in Punjab and Haryana, a fire tender is generally provided only to VIPs accorded Z-plus security category.